Title:
Adaptive Envelope Protection Methods for Aircraft

dc.contributor.advisor Prasad, Jonnalagadda V. R.
dc.contributor.author Unnikrishnan, Suraj en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember Feron, Eric
dc.contributor.committeeMember Horn, Joseph
dc.contributor.committeeMember Johnson, Eric N.
dc.contributor.committeeMember Pritchett, Amy R.
dc.contributor.department Aerospace Engineering en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2006-09-01T19:16:21Z
dc.date.available 2006-09-01T19:16:21Z
dc.date.issued 2006-05-19 en_US
dc.description.abstract Carefree handling refers to the ability of a pilot to operate an aircraft without the need to continuously monitor aircraft operating limits. At the heart of all carefree handling or maneuvering systems, also referred to as envelope protection systems, are algorithms and methods for predicting future limit violations. Recently, envelope protection methods that have gained more acceptance, translate limit proximity information to its equivalent in the control channel. Envelope protection algorithms either use very small prediction horizon or are static methods with no capability to adapt to changes in system configurations. Adaptive approaches maximizing prediction horizon such as dynamic trim, are only applicable to steady-state-response critical limit parameters. In this thesis, a new adaptive envelope protection method is developed that is applicable to steady-state and transient response critical limit parameters. The approach is based upon devising the most aggressive optimal control profile to the limit boundary and using it to compute control limits. Pilot-in-the-loop evaluations of the proposed approach are conducted at the Georgia Tech Carefree Maneuver lab for transient longitudinal hub moment limit protection. Carefree maneuvering is the dual of carefree handling in the realm of autonomous Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Designing a flight control system to fully and effectively utilize the operational flight envelope is very difficult. With the increasing role and demands for extreme maneuverability there is a need for developing envelope protection methods for autonomous UAVs. In this thesis, a full-authority automatic envelope protection method is proposed for limit protection in UAVs. The approach uses adaptive estimate of limit parameter dynamics and finite-time horizon predictions to detect impending limit boundary violations. Limit violations are prevented by treating the limit boundary as an obstacle and by correcting nominal control/command inputs to track a limit parameter safe-response profile near the limit boundary. The method is evaluated using software-in-the-loop and flight evaluations on the Georgia Tech unmanned rotorcraft platform- GTMax. The thesis also develops and evaluates an extension for calculating control margins based on restricting limit parameter response aggressiveness near the limit boundary. en_US
dc.description.degree Ph.D. en_US
dc.format.extent 4403737 bytes
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/11478
dc.language.iso en_US
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology en_US
dc.subject Neural network based estimation
dc.subject Flight test results
dc.subject Autonomous systems
dc.subject Reactionary methods
dc.subject Control limits
dc.subject Real-time optimal control
dc.subject B-spline approximation
dc.subject Force-feedback tactile cueing
dc.subject Rotorcraft flap angle limiting
dc.subject Operating limits en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Intelligent control systems en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Neural networks (Computer science) en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Automatic control en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Flight control Design and construction en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Fuzzy systems en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Helicopters Control systems Design and construction en_US
dc.title Adaptive Envelope Protection Methods for Aircraft en_US
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Dissertation
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.advisor Prasad, Jonnalagadda V. R.
local.contributor.corporatename College of Engineering
local.contributor.corporatename Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering
local.relation.ispartofseries Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Aerospace Engineering
relation.isAdvisorOfPublication 933b7ff4-7a2e-4eab-9618-bc6303890af3
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 7c022d60-21d5-497c-b552-95e489a06569
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication a348b767-ea7e-4789-af1f-1f1d5925fb65
relation.isSeriesOfPublication f6a932db-1cde-43b5-bcab-bf573da55ed6
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